Aren't I Supposed to Kill You?
by the last dreamer
Summary: AU. KagInu. She's an assassin sent to kill him. He's a pirate captain who kills and plunders for a living. What will happen?
1. chappy 1

A/N: Hello again. Figured I'd get to work on a Kagome/Inu fic quickly. 

Again, I am lacking a beta reader. 

Disclaimer: They aren't mine. Simple as that.

**Aren't I Supposed to Kill You?**: Chapter 1

           Hidden behind the leaves, a dark figure watched as the man strode across the pier. The forest crept almost to the water's edge around this part of the coast. It was unusual for anyone to be out this late at night, being that this was youkai country and all. 

But the man on the dock seemed to pay no attention to anything around him. He sat dangling his feet in the water, face upturned towards the full moon. The figure in the trees gasped as the moonlight illuminated his features. His hair glinted silver and his skin glowed a pale white. The ears definitely attracted her attention. She had the oddest urge to get up and rub them. He was definitely handsome, to say the least. What the hell was coming over her?! Damnit, why did she have to meet him under these circumstances? 

She studied him as he continued to sit peacefully, occasionally tossing a pebble and making little ripples in the water. His eyes never opened, not even when he stood to leave a few hours later. The dawn was just beginning to tint the sky with pink when he disappeared inside his home, presumably to bed. She, too, retreated to her makeshift home, deeper inside the tree line. 

When the sun had risen above the horizon, she walked back out, stretching the kinks out of her back. A catnap was all she needed to carry on with her day as she normally would. 

"Good morning Sango-chan. I trust you slept well," Sango was the first person Kagome saw as she scurried out from behind a house. 

"Hai, I did. And you?" everyone here was convinced she was a traveler staying at the local inn.

"I slept just fine, thank you. Where is your husband at such a late hour? Not in bed still?" In a few short days she had come to learn much about many of the villagers. Including the fact that Sango's husband, Miroku, was first mate of the ship manned by the man from the night before. They had come into port two nights prior from a trip to the islands to the north to 'trade' for gold and other goods. 

But Kagome had been informed differently. She had it from good sources that they were the crew of the pirates that had terrorized ships and coastal towns for nigh on seven years. Her master had sent her on this mission because she was the best in her trade. No one walked away when she was assigned to the task. She could easily adapt in any situation and before the target saw it coming, they were down and no longer a threat. 

"He sure is, the lazy good-for-nothing. Comes home after a month at sea and expects me to wait on him hand and foot. Like an overgrown child, he is," Sango ended with a chuckle, and continued walking towards her home with her bucket of fresh water from the stream. 

"I hope you plan to use that water wisely!" Kagome called after her, and the woman ahead of her laughed louder. 

"Oh, I do. Trust me!" She couldn't hold in her own giggles as she pictured poor Miroku sopping wet with a pout on his face. Continuing on her way as well, she came across the home of the infamous captain. With a knock, she entered, setting the tray she carried on the table by the bed. 

"It's passed mid-morning, Taisho-san. Time to wake up!" Kagome threw open the curtains above the massive bed, revealing a shining sun and stirring the man on the bed into semi-consciousness. He groaned and rolled over, burying further into his coverlet. 

"Go 'way, Sanchi," calling her by the name everyone here knew her by; he seemed determined to sink into the mattress and disappear. 

"No, no, sir. You must get up! The day has long since started and—" 

"I said go away! I didn't have a good night, so leave me to my sleep," he interrupted her, nearly shouting and looking quite alert. 

"Ah, but I have succeeded in waking you, so why should I leave?" she couldn't help the smug grin on her face. Inuyasha just growled at her.

"I've brought you coffee and breakfast, so eat and I will see you later on," with that, she turned and left him sitting there, slightly stunned at the young woman who had so suddenly swept into his life. 

Some time later, when the sun had just begun to set, he found Kagome brushing down the horses in the stable. Being a coastal town, they were pretty far from other civilization and needed quicker ways of transportation than walking. A beautiful tawny mare tossed her head with a whinny as he entered the building, alerting her to his presence. She turned with a bright smile pasted on her face.

"'Ello, sir. Come for a ride, have you? I'll finish up and be out of your way," She hurriedly began to clean up. But Inuyasha stopped her with a hand on her elbow.

"Come with me. There's something I'd like to speak with you about." He knew it wasn't proper, but there was this niggling little bit of information burning in his mind, desiring answers to the many questions it inspired. 

"But, Taisho-san—" she started, only to be interrupted again.

"No, no ifs, ands, or buts. You are coming with me. There's something I need to know," she nodded slightly, and went to gather saddles for a pair of horses. She chose the mare she had been brushing, and he picked a strong chestnut stallion from the corner stall. The devil threw his head about and puffed out his stomach when he tried to tighten the girth. While he got frustrated, Kagome just sat on the stall door and giggled. 

"You think this is funny? The damned beast won't cooperate!" her laughter only increased, the cute face he was making was too much. Wait—cute?! She was trained to be an emotionless, remorseless killer, and yet, here she was going gooey over some hanyou-male! Immediately her chuckles died and she hopped down from the stall door. 

"Kizu is just being stubborn because he doesn't know you yet," she poked a thumb into the horse's side until he let out the breath he was holding. Then she pulled the girth tight and stood up, stroking Kizu's neck to calm him down. Ever since she had been little she had been good with animals, and even with her profession, the gift hadn't faded. Like magic the horse stopped thrashing and allowed Inuyasha to hop in the saddle.

The captain grumbled something about smart-ass wenches and dumb animals, thinking the woman hadn't heard him. He waited for her to climb onto her own mount and then started out the stable. The ride through the forest was rather peaceful, and no words were spoken as they each took in the scenery. Blood red stained the sky to the west, fading to a deep purple on the opposite horizon. Kagome let him guide the way, not caring where he led her as long as they came nowhere near her shelter. But she was careful to memorize the path they had taken.

He stopped abruptly in a grassy meadow, swinging down and tying the stallion to a gnarled tree that cast a bit of shade. Plopping down in that shade, he patted the ground next to him. When she sat down, he turned his face away from her and began talking.

"Sanchi, you know you can trust me, right?" he asked. 'I can't trust anyone, certainly not you,' she thought while outwardly nodding, unsure of where this was leading.

"Then why has the innkeeper never even heard of you? I thought you were staying there?" she was silent for a moment, not letting her surprise show. When she didn't reply, he continued. 

"You have to know that I was curious about you, showing up out of nowhere and making yourself right at home. I can't bring myself to just trust you, because I can't help but feel you're putting on an act," his face was still turned away, and he only met her eyes as he waited for her answer. 

"Why would you ever think that, sir?" she said, while thinking, 'damnit, how could he tell?'

"You still haven't answered my question," he pointed out.

"And I don't plan to. What makes you think that you can pry into my life, Taisho-san?" she stressed his name, trying to remind him that he was stepping over certain boundaries. 

"I'm looking out for my village. What if you were some bandit or assassin sent to get close to us and gather information? I can't leave that to chance!" 

"Of course not. You're the perfect gentleman, aren't you, sir? You're just so honest and trustworthy," she couldn't help but turn the conversation away from herself. It irked her that he was able to pinpoint almost exactly what she was sent here to do, even in jest. 

"Feh. What the hell do you mean by that?" now it was his turn to get defensive. 'This girl knows something she isn't supposed to,' he thought. 

"You know exactly what I mean, Captain Inuyasha. Tell me, what is it like to be a pirate king?" she stated with a calm, emotionless mask. His shock was almost palpable as he choked and turned to stare at the ground. 'Who the fuck is this woman? How did she know that?'

When he looked back up at her, she was smirking wickedly. 

"Who are you, woman?"

            **That's it for now. Unfortunately, the end of the weekend has come and tomorrow brings the homework. Read and review, okies?


	2. chappy 2

A/N: Konnichi wa, minna-san! Ideas for this story just keep circling about in my head and they won't leave me alone. So, here's chappie 2.

Still looking for a beta…::hint, hint::

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and company don't belong to me. It would be so nice if they actually _did_. But, guess what? It isn't gonna happen.

**Aren't I Supposed to Kill You?**: Chapter 2

     This woman completely and utterly confused him. One minute she was an innocent maiden sitting pleasantly in the grass, and the next, she was a bundle of anger and malice. It was like she had simply dropped her mask, revealing her true self. And boy, was that self scaring the shit out of Inuyasha. 

     He had never had a woman look at him with such hatred before. Sure, being a pirate, and a hanyou, had earned him a few dirty looks, but she looked perfectly able and ready to kill him on the spot. 

     "You aren't a very observant little hanyou, are you?" She knew it was pretty stupid of her, but she couldn't help taunting him. 

     "What is that supposed to mean? Answer my question, damnit!" 

     "Maybe all that salt from the sea is clogging your nose. You surely don't mean to tell me you can't smell the blood on my hands?" Kagome held them out to him as though he really would be able to detect the blood of a thousand demons and humans alike. When he gave no reaction she stood, towering threateningly over his form on the ground. 

     Kagome wasn't at all proud of what she had become, but she had long ago resigned herself to the life she must lead. The youkai she had slain had been evil, heartless beings that hurt and killed innocents, and the men hadn't been much better. While she didn't expect him to cower at her feet, she felt some kind of reaction was proper. One doesn't tend to sit quietly while their killer gets her knife ready. Thoughts of exactly why Inuyasha should fear her crept forward, bringing angry tears to her eyes. It was happening again! Why the hell couldn't she keep her focus with this mission?!

     Power seemed to crackle through the air as she shuddered and slammed her eyes shut, trying to shut out the memories. Rage flooded her veins; heating her blood and making her fingers twitch in eagerness. She tried, unsuccessfully, to calm herself by imagining all the ways she could kill him. When her eyes opened again, hints of pink glowed around the edges. Still the man gave no sign he had even heard her, staring blankly ahead. The horses knew something was wrong, and they began to whine and shy away from her as far as their tethers allowed.

     "What about the hundreds of tears I cried after you and your crew killed my family in front of my innocent 10-year-old eyes? Or is it that you have killed so many people you can't remember? Tell me!" 

     At that, his amber eyes snapped to her, looking slightly irritated and insulted. 

     "I have never taken a human life. Never!" he rose as well, flaunting his advantage in height. The hanyou stood with his arms crossed over his chest and his feet spread, looking ready for any attack she might launch. 'Well, the heart isn't the only weak spot, Inuyasha,' she thought, already changing her mental strategy. 

     "It was you, there can be no mistake. The same silver hair, the same golden eyes. Unless you have an identical twin brother in the same profession…" she left the sentence hanging, waiting for him to take the bait.

     "Wench, I don't have any bro—" he stopped mid-word, suddenly glaring rather fiercely at the ground. Fire glowed in his eyes as he looked back to her, the single word ripped from his throat in a hoarse growl, "Sesshoumaru." 

     It was pretty much the same with every target. She gives them an opening, they take it; they think they're off the hook and let their guard down; she launched one attack, and poof! Done as easily as that. Inuyasha didn't seem any different than the rest. What a pity. 

     Before he could blink, the captain found himself pinned to the scrawny tree with a dagger pressed to his collar.

     Her face was inches from his own, and was slowly getting closer, as if she meant to kiss him. Her eyes were staring deep into his own, never wavering as one word, dripping sarcasm, slid passed her lips to his. 

     "Sure."               

     The next thing he knew, the girl was pushing her blade further into his throat. Soon she began cursing and growling as the fire-rat hair robes refused to cut. Inuyasha couldn't hold in the laughter any longer. That only seemed to irritate her further, and suddenly she was gone. Vanished. Almost like she had disappeared off the face of the earth. He couldn't see or hear her, and it didn't help that all he could smell _was _her. Her scent clung to him with a vengeance. 

     The assassin watched as her prey spun in circles a few times before plopping down on his rear in the grass again. 'This little tree was good for something after all,' she thought as she hid among the scraggly branches near the top. She was waiting for something, any hint that he had relaxed for a moment. But being the smart pirate he was, Inuyasha never let his guard down again, not even for a second. 'Oh well, here goes,' with that she soundlessly jumped to the ground at his feet. 

    In a instant her long sword was in her hand, and she stood patiently waiting for Inuyasha to get the hint and duel her. He looked at her for a moment before standing and drawing his cutlass with almost as much speed and finesse. 'Where was she hiding that—no! Bad thoughts! Concentrate!' he mentally berated himself. 

     He slid his blade up hers, almost to the hilt, before drawing it away.

     "You sure you know what you're doing, little girl? Challenging a "pirate king" such as myself?" his words angered her all over again. How dare he call her a little girl! She had almost slit his throat a few minutes ago, and here he was taunting her! 

     "Show me your best," she sneered, readying her stance. 

     "Very well," he said. Then, almost faster than she could follow, he lunged forward. She only smiled and parried the sloppy strike. Every attack he tried, she blocked easily. It was almost as if she could read his mind and knew what he was going to do. Which she could, in a way. His muscles revealed his every move. 

     Inuyasha was having no such luck. This _human_ was impossible to read. So when she started her own offensive, he could only save himself by a fraction of a second. Her blows came faster and harder, but he noticed she was only repeating a select few moves. Kagome found herself being more and more easily held at bay as Inuyasha began to correctly read her strikes. She only growled and began to fight with all her passion, all her hatred. Soon he was being pushed back with no chance to do anything but defend himself. Dust was flying up around the pair as their deadly dance continued. The heat had been oppressive before, but now the exertion strained their muscles and coated them in a sheen of sweat.

     Neither noticed when the sun completely faded beyond the horizon and night brought with it a light drizzling rain. 'This is the most fun I've had in a long time,' Kagome thought with a wicked smile. 'It gets quite boring when they don't put up a fight.' Sweat and water soaked her hair, plastering it to her face. Her clothes clung snugly to her entire body, not leaving much to Inuyasha's imagination. 'Not that I'm looking,' he tried to tell himself. He wasn't faring much better. His big eyes and wild hair made him look like a ruffled little puppy.  

     The rain got steadily harder, and distant flares of lightning became the only light. Between flashes, Kagome had to rely on her miko senses while Inuyasha had no problem seeing her every move. It was a pretty equal match, until Kagome began to play dirty. She would tangle his sword with hers, pressing close to his body from chest to thighs. He couldn't fight his body's reaction to the press of young female flesh against his own for long. When they broke apart, she trailed a hand down his cheek. Jumping away, she crooked a finger for him to follow. 

     As abruptly as she had backed off, she came to a stop facing him and he crashed into her raised knee. Inuyasha groaned as he fell in the mud, clutching his abused crotch. She was crouched over him in a second, using her blade to turn his chin. 

     "I can't believe you fell for that one, Captain," Kagome said with a giggle. It had been almost too easy.

     "Yeah, well…" he stuttered. "So you don't believe that I have a brother and that he killed your parents, not me?" Her smile faded, and that twisted look of anger marred her pretty face again. Inuyasha caught himself, 'What the hell am I thinking? She's not pretty, she's a damn monster!'

     "I gave you the out, and I'm supposed to believe you?" she was incredulous. 'How dense is he?'

     "Just figured I'd ask." He seemed to not care he was in a prone position with a sword to his neck. 

     "Any regrets, Captain?" she practically snarled.

     "Only that I'm to be killed by a little slip of a woman like yourself." He certainly didn't look very remorseful. Laughter danced in his eyes, almost challenging her to kill him. Didn't he realize by now that that was what she did for a living? This man was so frustrating!

     She growled at him, thrusting her blade viciously downwards…

     **All done for today…The ideas keep coming, but I'll save them for later. So read and review! 


	3. chappy 3

A/N: Hi! No fighting or anything in this chapter. Barely any dialogue now that I think about it. Also, I might not be working on this story for a bit, 'cause I want to write more for my other Inu fic, _Never Fall in Love with Laboratory Escapees._

Disclaimer: If they weren't mine last chapter, I don't think they would be now. 

**Aren't I Supposed to Kill You?**: chapter 3

     …into the ground barely an inch from his neck. A growl began in her throat as she roughly pushed herself off his chest. She rose and walked a bit away, keeping her back to him. But that didn't mask the scent of tears in the air. 

     Kagome was crying. _Again_. She was disgusted with herself. Why couldn't she kill the damn hanyou?! Her heart had betrayed her at the last moment. With his warm honey eyes staring up at her and a slight smile on his lips, she just couldn't bring herself to plunge her blade down in that fatal stroke. Never before had she failed in a mission…who knew what her master would say to this. If she ever found the courage to face him with this, that is. 

     Inuyasha stood up slowly, a little confused at her tears. Wenches were so baffling he wondered why he even tried to understand them. He just could not use her moment of weakness against her. She had shown impressive skill, hell, she had managed to pin him. Even the pirate captain in him didn't want to attack her now. Damn his sentimentality! What was coming over him?

     The rain continued to fall, rivulets sliding down the sleek silver of the blade sheathed in the mud. The cool droplets camouflaged Kagome's frustrated tears and cooled her flushed cheeks at the same time. A sniffle escaped, then a second. Inuyasha looked on, watching her close herself from the pain, visibly stiffening and locking her muscles against the sobs that wanted so desperately to escape. He finally awoke out of the stupor he had fallen into enough to try and pull her sword from the ground. He wrapped his hand around the hilt, preparing to whip it out as he walked. 

     His arm jerked suddenly as the blade refused to budge. It threw him off balance for a moment and he found himself once again in the mud looking up into the stormy clouds above. Standing again, he tried again to remove it. And again. But no matter how hard he pulled, the blasted thing refused to come free. The sword's power prickled, but didn't do much more than raise the hairs on the back of his neck. Grabbing with both hands now, he leaned back, using all his weight against the stubborn piece of metal.

     Kagome chose that instant to turn and look at him. She could only watch as he lost his hold on the slippery wet leather of the hilt and fell backwards onto his rearing the mud. Soon tears of mirth were flooding her cheeks as she laughed heartily at the figure sitting on the ground pouting like a child. 

     "I'm glad you find this amusing," he said petulantly. 

     She paused in her giggles for a moment, enough to gasp out, "I'm sorry…but…you…I just can't help it!"

     "Yeah, well, ha ha. Get over it." She was confusing him again. Kagome had gone from killing-mode to weeping to laughing at him in a matter of a few moments. He stood, unable to resist wiping at the mud on his pants self-consciously. That only succeeded in doubling her over with laughter. Having her laugh at him stirred something to life within him. Something angry and full of bitterness that cast shadows on his heart. His mood grew progressively darker as he stalked over to her. He grasped her upper arm in his rough palm.

     "Enough already!" The scowl on his face had been known to make even the hardiest scumbags shake in their boots, but on this wench, it appeared to do no more than sober her up a bit. Her chuckles died slowly and her eyes eventually came up to meet his sharp glare. His grip tightened, beginning to bruise her pale skin.

     "Never laugh at me. You'll find I don't take it lightly," with that, Inuyasha turned and grabbed his sword from where it had fallen. He continued on, saddling his stallion for the ride back to the village. It was very hard to see now, even though the rain clouds had begun to dissipate. Stars were appearing in the sky, and the moon peeked above the tree line. 

     It cast a tiny bit of light through the heavy foliage, but Inuyasha could see well enough and the horse knew the way. He was too focused on his thoughts to care about the girl he left in the clearing. Her laughter had set something off deep inside him he didn't want to remember. 

     He tried to block them out, but the memories pushed through and flooded his mind. A child, scorned and jeered, sitting alone in the dust as the other children refused to play with him and laughed at his ears. The boy crying alone again as a bunch of older kids laughed cruelly and threw rocks at him. A mother, cuddling the crying boy as he whimpered and telling him everything would be alright in the end. A crowd of villagers gathered around the young child's hut, yelling and waving torches. The boy's mother shouting for him to run even as the tongues of fire licked the home. The fear that had engulfed him as the mob turned and chased him, waving various sharp farming tools in the air. The grief that tore the boy's heart in half as he returned in the early morning to find his home burned to the ground and his mother's sooty, lifeless body inside. 

     With a snarl, Inuyasha tore himself from the reverie and cursed himself repeatedly. He almost didn't notice that the horse had stopped and was waiting for his master to dismount. Jumping down, he led the stallion into the stable and settled him in for the night as fast as he could. He just wanted let dreamless sleep to engulf him for a few hours and help him push all the raw images back where they belong, deep in the forgotten recesses of his mind. 

     Unfortunately, he found that wouldn't happen as he exited the stables only to literally run into Kagome riding her tawny mare. Catching himself before he met the ground, he could only glare up at her. She looked innocently back at him, as if she didn't know what she had done to him. 'Baka,' he thought. 'Of course she wouldn't know. Exactly how many people have you told that story? Zero.' Inuyasha hated it when his little inner voice was right. 

     "Alright, tell me now, Inuyasha. What did I do?" her voice was quiet, heavy with emotion.

     "It doesn't matter now. I've put it behind me." His voice was weighted with sorrow and something else she couldn't identify. He left without saying anything else, retiring to his hut quickly. Kagome looked after him, wondering what he could have meant. Sighing, she led her horse into the stall, brushing the mare down and setting out feed. All the while wondering why the hanyou had gotten so angry with her. 

     "Is it my fault the guy fell on his ass in the mud?" she said to herself. The horses in the stables all looked at her. Their steady gazes managed to make her feel even worse. But even as the unease within her grew, so did the anger. That murdering creature deserved neither sympathy nor worry from her. The anger helped to center her focus. It wiped away all other emotion and reminded her that this was a mission and she had no time for attachments. 

     With new resolve she left the stable, sliding in and out of the shadows, traveling deeper into the woods. An evil grin twisted her face and mischief glittered in her eyes. Tomorrow she would become Sanchi again and wait for another chance to take out her prey.

      ** No more for now. But I couldn't resist putting out another chapter for you great reviewers. I had Pirates of the Caribbean on the brain when I wrote this chapter, if you couldn't tell. 

 Thankies lots to:

**Gopher2806**

**Spirit of the anime angel**

Miko of the inocent 

Inu_sweetie

Catgirl MM 

cheyenne

     Remember: read and review!


	4. chappy 4

A/N: Hey all. Back for more? Good. I've been meaning to get this out for awhile. It's kind of short, and there's not much Inu/Kag interaction, but plot must be developed, ne?

Disclaimer: They still ain't mine. No amount of wishing will make it so.

**Aren't I Supposed to Kill You?:** chapter 4

The days past quietly and without noticeable difference in the success of her mission, other than Kagome getting much friendlier with the other villagers. Inuyasha avoided her like she was a leper, except for in the mornings when she came and woke him as had become custom. But he would never say a word of acknowledgement, choosing instead to glare at her and nod silently as he waved her off. If any of the villagers found it odd that there was silence where there had previously been companionable conversation, none said anything. That is, until four days had passed and she found herself getting pressed for information as she was eating lunch with Sango in her and her husband Miroku's hut.

"It could not have been something small, that I know. Our Inuyasha has always been nice and considerate. And he and you got along so well until recently. What happened, Sanchi? You can tell me," Sango said as she bounced an infant with one arm and tried to take a bite of stew with the other. Kimiko was about six months old, she had learned, and was the couple's first child. Sango had confided in her the other day that another one was on the way, due in five months or so. She looked so happy, her face was almost glowing with her smile as she smoothed a hand over her slightly rounded belly. Part of Kagome wished desperately for a home, a family, and children of her own. But that was impossible.

"Why, Sango, I assure you that nothing happened between the two of us. I hadn't noticed that he'd been avoiding me until you mentioned it, as a matter of fact," Kagome said with a straight face. She had perfected lying and omitting facts many years ago as one of her first lessons. Sango peered at her curiously, looking for even a tiny crack in the girl's mask to catch her in a lie. Finding none, she sat back and gave a shrug before noisily finishing her lunch.

"I still don't believe you, Sanchi. But I'll let it go for now. I know you'll tell me when you're ready, yes?" she said as she switched the babe to her other shoulder to give her arm a break. Grateful for being let off the hook, Kagome stood and followed her host into the small corner that served as a cooking area.

On their way back to the table, she answered, "Of course, Sango. You've been so kind to me since I came here. I'm thinking of staying here for quite awhile. I think I'd miss you and this little one too much to leave any time soon." She reached over and stroked the fuzz of hair on the babe's head.

"I'm glad. I needed a friend around here. So many of the other women are much older than I am. Makes it hard to be friends. 'Sides, you might yet soften Inuyasha on women once and for all. Goddess knows he needs to find a mate and settle down. Every chit that passes through here, I keep thinking he'll find it in her, but it's never happened. 'Cept for that Kikyo wench that serves on his ship as the waitress. But she's no better than the floozies down in the brothel. Never understood why he is as sweet on her as he is." Disgust colored her tone as she talked of the woman.

'Hmm…a new angle on this stagnant case,' Kagome thought as she nodded thoughtfully and then looked curiously at Sango as something she said registered.

"'It'? What do you mean 'it'?"

"Hmm?" Sango murmured as she loosened her top to allow Kimiko to suckle. She hadn't really heard the girl's question over the rustling of cloth and the impatient whimpers of her daughter.

"You said that you're hoping he'll find 'it' in some girl who passes through. What do you mean by 'it'?" Kagome repeated patiently. As the infant settled down, Sango looked back up and paused thoughtfully, trying to remember her train of thought a moment ago.

"Oh. I see now. You've never been in love then, have you? You'd know what I mean by 'it' otherwise. When you're in love, you tend to forget everything around you. You lose focus on everything and it gets in the way of doing things the way you did beforehand. It'll hit you all of a sudden, and there's no way to help it." A glazed over, dreamy look had come into her eyes, as though she was not sitting in her kitchen, but rather walking through a favorite memory.

"You talk from experience?" Kagome watched as she shook her head and her eyes focused again before she answered.

"My marriage to Miroku wasn't prearranged. My father allowed me to find someone I wanted to marry. He was a traveling monk who visited the village one day, and though I was a shy girl, I liked him right away. His charm and good looks almost made up for the fact that he was a perverted letch. But he won me over after a few weeks."

"That's a sweet story, Sango. I wish I could fall in love like that." It was true. She wished she could, but it was inconceivable.

"No reason you can't. Maybe if Inuyasha pulls his head out of his ass…" she trailed off, hoping Kagome would catch her point.

Kagome jumped up quickly, shaking her head vehemently and making sharp gestures with her arms. "Stop right there. There's nothing between me and Inuyasha and there won't be more than friendship, ever. I don't like him romantically. I can't fall in love with that arrogant prick."

"Methinks the lady doth protest too much," Sango said quietly and full of conviction. But that didn't mean Kagome understood what she was trying to say any better.

"Huh?"

"Nothing, Sanchi. Now, run along and get back to your chores. I've kept you away long enough. Scoot!" The older woman was reluctant to reveal the meaning behind her statement. Kagome reluctantly agreed that it was well passed the time she had intended to stay, and turned to leave.

"Good evening, Sango. See you in the morn," she called over her shoulder before shutting the door. Kagome left the hut both puzzled and elated. What the woman had said about Inuyasha had to be considered more carefully. Could she indeed be in love with this slimy monster that killed her family? Fate surely was not that cruel and twisted. But with how her life had turned out, she could not be surprised if the god of love only came to her when he needed a laugh.

But that Kikyo woman that Sango had mentioned…she might have something there. A way to break back into Inuyasha's cold heart and show him that she meant business. The man would pay, and if that meant losing the few people he held close, then so be it. People other than Sango and Miroku, of course. She had already broken her first and most important rule, and had come to care for the couple as friends. To see their eyes as she bled their lives away would be too much, something that would tear her heart apart one more time and overwhelm her with grief. It had happened before, and she swore it would never happen again.

A/N END NOTE: I'm getting back to writing, all of my stories. So go read them and make me happy! Reviewing would make me even happier! And a happy me means faster chapter production, so get to it. Lots of non-icky love to all my readers. Especially to those of you who reviewed the last chapter oh so long ago:

Wolfgirl14

Gopher2806 

**Devil's Reincarnation**

**Lisuli**

Demongirl6381 

Catgirl MM

Liliana Moon

Yasha-Inuyasha's-Twin-Sister 

Queeney

Iz

Nauriell 


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